Victorian Farm; BBC TV

geordie_joe

mophead wrote: »

I use the block of green fairy soap on the cuffs,

Can you still get that? I remember that well, and coal tar soap.

I remember using it as a kid, particular one time in the late 60's or early 70's. On a picnic my older sister was plagued with flies and bees and wasps etc. but the rest of the family weren't.

She had recently started working, and buying her own toiletries. When she shouted "Why are all the flies and wasps attacking just me" my dad replied "because you are the only one who smells like an apple tree"

I never forgot that, and still think he had a point.

rosieben

geordie_joe wrote: »

Can you still get that? I remember that well, and coal tar soap. ...

http://www.carbolicsoap.com/bhousehold-soapb-c-233_241.html and they sell the dolly blues, loads of other stuff too.

and I remember having to learn the hard lesson that wearing anything perfumed on a summer picnic was not a good idea!

jinny

I have started to use green household soap to clean round the house and to spot clean the stains before I soak the wash in the bath, it seam to work really well. I had to hot wash my sons white polo shirts though, as they were a bit grey looking. My granny in the 1950s used a dolly or poss stick as they were also called up North with Acdo to pound our washing, but like the lady on Victorian Farm said it's hard work, our whites were imaculate though.

Natty68

Oooh I love this programme, I am totally hooked. Especially as I love anything to do with the victorian era How lovely nannaC that your prized victorian possessions were used in the programme, your house must be lovely with all these bits and bobs in.

Regarding the washing - I don't use any washing powder anymore all I use is a cupful of washing soda crystals and a couple of dessert spoonfuls of borax, and then white vinegar in the fabric conditioner section. After a few washes of putting up where the washing was a still hard while the soap build up was leaving the clothes, our washing is now so clean and smells lovely. The whites are the white I remember from a child watching my nanny when she was washing the whites, and I can truthfully say we have no greys or dingy whites now. And the coloured washing is still vibrant. Oh and also my DH's excema has cleared up too as he doesn't have all the chemicals of washing powder etc on the washing

Yategirl

Natty - how does this compare pricewise with the powder/liquid you used to use? and do you buy soda/borax in bulk?

The programme has been great so far. Ds (age 6!) and I took on board the info about stains - milk for ink etc... this is an area that I have always struggled with - ink on school shirts etc...(!) is there a list anywhere of what to use for each stain type?

shopndrop

Natty68 wrote: »

Regarding the washing - I don't use any washing powder anymore all I use is a cupful of washing soda crystals and a couple of dessert spoonfuls of borax, and then white vinegar in the fabric conditioner section. Oh and also my DH's excema has cleared up too as he doesn't have all the chemicals of washing powder etc on the washing

I am really interested in giving this a try. I already use white vinegar in the conditioner section but as I have really bad eczema will give anything a try and like the idea of no chemicals.

Where can you buy the washing soda crystals and borax and do you mix these together and then put them where you would put the washing powder?

Do they work on a 30 degree wash or do you need to use a higher temperature?

Penelope_Penguin

shopndrop wrote: »

I am really interested in giving this a try. I already use white vinegar in the conditioner section but as I have really bad eczema will give anything a try and like the idea of no chemicals.

Where can you buy the washing soda crystals and borax and do you mix these together and then put them where you would put the washing powder?

Do they work on a 30 degree wash or do you need to use a higher temperature?

I hate to burst your bubble, but borax, washing soda and vinegar are all what I'd call chemicals, and are all irritants.

Penny. x

Primrose

Now my OH no longer needs formal long sleeved shirts at work, he has graduated to short sleeved shirts all year rounds. Saves a lot of work pre-rubbing any heavily stained cuffs and makes ironing easier too.,

Natty68

shopndrop wrote: »

I am really interested in giving this a try. I already use white vinegar in the conditioner section but as I have really bad eczema will give anything a try and like the idea of no chemicals.

Where can you buy the washing soda crystals and borax and do you mix these together and then put them where you would put the washing powder?

Do they work on a 30 degree wash or do you need to use a higher temperature?

Yategirl wrote: »

Natty - how does this compare pricewise with the powder/liquid you used to use? and do you buy soda/borax in bulk?

The programme has been great so far. Ds (age 6!) and I took on board the info about stains - milk for ink etc... this is an area that I have always struggled with - ink on school shirts etc...(!) is there a list anywhere of what to use for each stain type?

shopndrop - I buy the soda crystals and borax from Wilkinsons, did buy them in bulk online with the white vinegar but it cost me almost double to get it delivered so I knocked that on the head very quickly..lol. You put them in the soap dispenser drawer in your washing machine and yes you do mix them together. If you want to you can mix them with say one tablet of your washing powder instead of two.. I don't wash on a 30 deg wash I'm afraid, the lowest I go is 40, but I have various temps for different things, but yes it does work just as well on the 40 deg as it would on a high temperature. I am sure you will see a difference with your excema as well hon, I know DH has.

Yategirl - I actually find it considerably cheaper as I'm not using so much at any one time. I did buy it in bulk once but found it cost me twice as much so I now get it from Wilkinsons everytime I go in there. The soda crystals last me a fair while and I normally buy 1 box of borax a month, and I do washing almost every day.

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

I hate to burst your bubble, but borax, washing soda and vinegar are all what I'd call chemicals, and are all irritants.

Penny. x

Penny I wouldn't call them irritants in the washing as they are fully washed out of the clothes during the machine wash. They are only irritants if they get on your skin if you are using them for cleaning and you get a rash or something like that. But I can testify that it has cleared up and kept at bay DH's excema, and I don't get itchies down below any more, if you see what I mean. Plus everything has a proper clean smell not an artificial induced one.

mardatha

We don't have wilkinsons up here. I need to look for borax! I have excema now and again inside my elbows and on my fingers, its a real PITA.